Do you remember Furby? The robotic creature from the 90's that you could tickle, pet, feed, etc? There's a new one coming out soon, with a lot of new functions!
I have to admit: I love Furbies. I had 3 when I was younger: a multi-colored one, a white-with-black-spots one, and even a baby Furby. So now, about 13-14 years later, I was quite trilled when I heard on the radio that they're doing a remake. So I did a little research, and this is what I found:
Looking good!
First thing you might notice are the eyes. (Well, it's not very clear on this picture, but it sure is in the video's.) Its eyes are screens, and can display a wide range of emotions. Also a new feature: Furbies can have different personalities now, each with their own eyes, emotions and preferences. Two personalities that are already described are the "Valley Girl", which is outgoing and happy, and a more "evil" personality, that apparently sings guitar riffs from Black Sabbath. Nice!
Music, maestro!
But they can do more than just singing a pre-programmed melody: when playing music near Furby, it can "sing along", mimicking the music a bit with Furby-sounds. And of course, it can also dance, as demonstrated in several video's.
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| The Furby food app! |
This is 2012, and what's hot right now? Right: apps. Hasbro (the company that makes Furbies) will also release a free app on iPad, which can translate Furby to English and vice versa, and you can use it to feed your Furby different kinds of food, and he/she will even react differently to that food. How it works? With sounds that are inaudible for humans, but the Furbies can pick them up.
And about communicating: you should talk a lot to Furby, because then it will pick up English words and incorporate them in its own speech. Different Furbies can also talk and interact with each other, and even learn from one another!
I guess I said most of what is already known, just watch some video's to see it in action:
Colors?
What's up with the neon blue color? Are there any other colors too? The answer is yes. It took me a while but I found a site with pictures of some other colors:
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How much does it cost & when is it coming out?
About 60 dollars, which should be about 48,92€, so my guess is 50€. Its release date is now set at September 2012.
My opinion
I like it! I like the new functionalities, I like how it looks and moves... I'm definitely going to buy one! :) The only thing I'm quite disappointed about is that the app only works on iPad... Maybe it's something technical? Otherwise I hope that it will also appear on other iOS devices and Android.
It could be Area42's mascot, haha! :D I'll keep you updated!
Greets,
x Marcia
P.S: Want to read more/see more pictures & video's?
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